Wednesday, September 24, 2014

What-Cha: Nepal 1st Flush 2014 Silver Oolong Tea, A Tea Review

I have a slight conundrum, earlier in the week I decided to paint a Cthulhu (yes it will show up in my tea reviews alongside my tea frog and Prowlers) and I am so pleased with it. I might add some slime to his raggedy wings and tentacles, but if I left it untouched as it is now, I would be content. Problem is, this is the first of the miniatures I have painted that I consider finished, and now I am for some reason terrified to work on any of the other ones. It is silly, I am so convinced that I am going to screw them up, that all my creative talent went into my Eldritch Horror...I am sure it will pass in a day or so, but it is a very odd feeling. Any other artists ever have that feeling when they complete something?

Today's tea for What-Cha Wednesday is Nepal 1st Flush 2014 Silver Oolong, silver oolong just sounds pretty, like the oolong is made of moonlight or something incredibly whimsical. Grown at Greenland Organic Farm in Nepal, near Mt Kancghenjunga at an altitude of 3,000m, looking at the photo of the farm on What-Cha's page for this tea, perhaps this oolong is made from snow, clouds, and silvery mist. I find myself pleased to try more teas from Nepal, expanding my tea education is a joy! The aroma of these fluffy and silvery leaves is summed up as light, with notes of orange blossoms, cane sugar, a touch of undefined flowers, and a tiny hint of herbaceous green. It is like a blend of white tea, oolong, and delicate green tea, when I say that it is light, the aroma itself is very defined and has a presence, just the notes themselves are very light and airy.

Into the gaiwan it goes! I felt bad for my first gaiwan, poor chipped thing has been mostly replaced by my auspicious bat gaiwan, so I decided to give it some love, plus the delicate white porcelain seemed perfect for such a delicate seeming oolong. The aroma of the now steeped leaves is a mix of orange blossom, sage, and lettuce, again with a distant hint of floral. The liquid is very similar to the brewed leaves, except there is more of a green, fresh vegetation aroma that accompanies the flowers. I am especially fond of of the orange blossom aroma, I do not run into that very often.

The first steeping is delightfully light and clean tasting, with a start of cane sugar and orange blossoms, this transitions to fresh vegetation and steam. Ok, steam, yeah that sounds weird, but have you ever been in a conservatory or greenhouse that is steamy and it is that mix of flowers, growing things, and water that you can taste when breathing through your mouth? That kind of steam, it is quite evocative and refreshing. This steeping reminds me of white tea, oolong, and green tea took their most delicate and mellow notes and combined them into this cup.

For the second steep the aroma is very sweet, like orange blossoms and orange zest, after that it fades to fresh vegetation. The taste of this steep has a definite boost of body in comparison to the first, it starts a bit dry and sharp with a definite taste of fresh spring water, complete with minerals. This transitions to a mix of spring water and orange blossoms, with a tiny hint of kale. At the finish you get a sweet burst of orange and cane sugar that lingers for quite a while. Like the previous Nepalese oolong, I feel clean and refreshed after sipping this tea.

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Disclosure

I will give each tea a fair and honest review, regardless if it was bought by me, gifted, or sent for reviewing purposes. Each tea will be treated equal and any poetic waxing or complaints are a result of the tea's quality and not how I received it. Also I do not receive any compensation (other than the tea which I review) for my reviews or this blog.